Hamels wants to emulate Pettitte

Phillies left-hander admires veteran play in postseason

Cole Hamels has nothing but admiration for the way fellow left-hander Andy Pettitte has pitched in the month of October.

"I just want to have his postseason career," Hamels told MLB.com. "That would be great. That's something special right there."

Hamels is scheduled to pitch Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Tuesday night in San Francisco.

Pettitte, meanwhile, has taken notice of Hamels, who has posted a 6-3 record with a 3.36 ERA in the postseason, and won the NLCS and World Series MVP awards in 2008.

"Watching what he's done, it's great," Pettitte said. "I saw him last year live, and I would say he looked twice as good the other day when I saw him pitch in Cincinnati [in the National League Division Series], as far as how crisp his stuff was and stuff like that.

"He's doing a great job, he's having a lot of success. Obviously, you can tell he's pitching with a lot of confidence."

Ross had sights set on being a rodeo clown: Cody Ross became a Major League Baseball star instead of pursuing his childhood passion to become a rodeo clown.

"My dad was in the rodeo," Ross told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "I used to dress up like him and go to the rodeos. I guess the reason I was drawn to them is because those guys have no fear. They would put their life on the line to save a cowboy. I just thought that was pretty neat they would do that."

Matthews rooting for Posey: Gary Matthews played with both the Giants and Phillies during his career, but he won his Rookie of the Year award with the Giants, so he's rooting for Buster Posey in that category.

"I like the way he hits. I like his demeanor," Matthews told the San Jose Mercury News. "He looks mean up there, and he covers the plate. You don't see many rookies hit to right-center field like he can. And he hits with two outs, too. I know [Atlanta outfielder Jason] Heyward had a great year, but I'm pulling for [the Phillies] to take the series and him to win Rookie of the Year."

Hamilton making use of rare chances: The Yankees have walked Josh Hamilton five times in the first two games of the American League Championship Series.

"I'm coming to the reality that this is the way it's going to be," Hamilton, who has an on-base percentage of .600 in the two games, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "I'm taking what they give me. If they don't want to give me anything, I'll do what I did yesterday and pass it along to the next guy. It's not important whether Vladdy [Guerrero] gets it done or Nellie [Cruz] gets it done, it's important to have one less out to deal with."

Moreland playing with confidence: It appears the more Mitch Moreland plays, the more he impresses Texas manager Ron Washington. Moreland, who hits left-handed, had two hits in Game 2 of the ALCS on Saturday and has three total hits in the series. He'll get the start in Game 3 against Andy Pettitte.

"He's done a good job of knocking stuff down," Washington told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "I don't see a tension. What I see is a guy going out there and playing his game. I see a guy who's finally realized he can do rather than question if he can."

Sabathia ready if needed: The Yankees plan to start A.J. Burnett in Game 4 of the ALCS against Texas, but Game 1 starter CC Sabathia is ready to start on short rest if asked to do so.

"Nobody has told me anything different," Sabathia told the New York Daily News. "Whenever they tell me I'm pitching, I'm pitching. It doesn't matter if I throw a bullpen tomorrow or the day before I pitch. If they want me to take the ball, I'll take it. They know that."

Lewis provides Rangers with remedy: After blowing a five-run lead in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Yankees, the Rangers needed, and got, a solid start from Colby Lewis in Game 2. He allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings.

"He gave us exactly what we needed," manager Ron Washington told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "I've always said, if he can command his ball, keep them out of too many offensive counts that he would do well. And he certainly did."

Granderson familiar with Lee's pace: Curtis Granderson, who faced Cliff Lee in the AL Central from 2005 through 2007, believes the left-hander's fortunes changed in 2008 when he began to work more quickly.

"He bounced back with a Cy Young performance, and that's when he started working fast," Granderson told MLB.com. "His percentage of strikes started to go up a little bit higher. The approach hasn't changed too much, except that you have to be ready to go."

Burrell returns to stomping grounds: Pat Burrell, who grew up in the Phillies organization, returns as a member of the Giants in the 2010 NLCS.

"There's a lot of memories because of all the time I spent here," Burrell told the San Jose Mercury News. "Really great memories, and it's hard not to think of them. But you know what? It's business time. All that's over with. I'm on a new team -- with the same goal."

Oswalt runs through stop sign: Winning pitcher Roy Oswalt ran through a stop sign to score a key run in the seventh inning of NLCS Game 2 on Sunday night.

"I didn't see it until I got halfway down the line," Oswalt told MLB.com. "As soon as [Placido] Polanco hit it, I read it pretty well off the bat, and I thought I was scoring straight out. So I had the intention of scoring when I took off, and I wasn't even looking for a stop sign, so I was halfway down the line and I was hoping I'd get in there from there."

"That was comical," Jimmy Rollins said. "You know, Roy's got those stiff hips, and it looked like he was made out of cardboard running down the line. But you know what? He had what it took tonight."